A Formal Analysis of the Best System Account of Lawhood

In this work I attempt a reformulation of Lewis’ Best System Account, explicitating the underlying formal conception of scientific theories and trying to define the concepts of simplicity, strength and balance. This essay is divided in three sections. In the first one I introduce the Best System Account of natural laws and formulate the need for its improvement. In the second section I outline a formal framework where the notions of deductive system and scientific theory can be defined precisely. In the last section the notions of simplicity, strength and balance are analyzed. To conclude I argue that the framework proposed does indeed provide the precision required. In addition, it also offers interesting insights on the plurality of concepts of simplicity, strength and balance, and on the general enterprise of formalizing scientific theories

A Formal Analysis of the Best System Account of Lawhood

In this work I attempt a reformulation of Lewis’ Best System Account, explicitating the underlying formal conception of scientific theories and trying to define the concepts of simplicity, strength and balance. This essay is divided in three sections. In the first one I introduce the Best System Account of natural laws and formulate the need for its improvement. In the second section I outline a formal framework where the notions of deductive system and scientific theory can be defined precisely. In the last section the notions of simplicity, strength and balance are analyzed. To conclude I argue that the framework proposed does indeed provide the precision required. In addition, it also offers interesting insights on the plurality of concepts of simplicity, strength and balance, and on the general enterprise of formalizing scientific theories

Il diritto privato tra Stato e Regioni: riflessioni comparatistiche

Traditionally, in Italy Private Law has always been considered exclusive to the State central authority. Even after the Constitutional Reform of 2001, which gave Regions a great deal of legislative powers, they still struggle to regulate these aspects of human relationships. Nonetheless, in these recent years, we are witnessing the slow arising of Regional Private Law. Very often, such legislation is challenged by the State before the Constitutional Court for its supposed inconsistency with the Italian Constitution, but it is not unlikely to see the Constitutional Court dismiss these appeals on the grounds of irrelevance. Moreover, it is still unclear which subjects are to be considered “private”. Any distinction becomes even harder when a different legal system is involved. In fact, terms like “private law” and “state” can acquire a very different meaning not only because of merely linguistic reasons, but also on legal and cultural grounds. For reasons duly explained in the first chapter, a significant comparison between the Italian legal system and all major European legal systems seems less meaningful than one might expect. Therefore, the focus is shifted to the common law tradition, particularly the U.S., where the distinction between private and public law has little bearing - if any - and where the federal experience can offer new solutions to a younger multi-level system of government

On the connection between the categorical and the modal logic approaches to Quantum Mechanics

This thesis aims at connecting the two research programs known as Categorical Quantum Mechanics and Dynamic Quantum Logic. This is achieved in three steps. First we define a procedure to extract a Modal Logic frame from a small category and a functor into the category of sets and relations. Second, we extend such methodology to locally small categories. Third, we apply it to the category of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces to recover the semantics of Dynamic Quantum Logic. This process prompts new lines of research. At a general level, we study some logics arising from wide classes of small categories. In the case of Hilbert spaces, we investigate how to obtain richer semantics, containing probabilistic information. We design a logic for this semantics and prove that, via translation, it preserves the validities of Dynamic Quantum Logic

Il diritto privato tra Stato e Regioni: riflessioni comparatistiche

Traditionally, in Italy Private Law has always been considered exclusive to the State central authority. Even after the Constitutional Reform of 2001, which gave Regions a great deal of legislative powers, they still struggle to regulate these aspects of human relationships. Nonetheless, in these recent years, we are witnessing the slow arising of Regional Private Law. Very often, such legislation is challenged by the State before the Constitutional Court for its supposed inconsistency with the Italian Constitution, but it is not unlikely to see the Constitutional Court dismiss these appeals on the grounds of irrelevance. Moreover, it is still unclear which subjects are to be considered “private”. Any distinction becomes even harder when a different legal system is involved. In fact, terms like “private law” and “state” can acquire a very different meaning not only because of merely linguistic reasons, but also on legal and cultural grounds. For reasons duly explained in the first chapter, a significant comparison between the Italian legal system and all major European legal systems seems less meaningful than one might expect. Therefore, the focus is shifted to the common law tradition, particularly the U.S., where the distinction between private and public law has little bearing - if any - and where the federal experience can offer new solutions to a younger multi-level system of government.Ormai da tempo il diritto privato ha perso la sua dimensione esclusivamente codicistica e la frammentazione delle fonti che ne è conseguita ha messo in crisi il rapporto simbiotico con la sovranità statale. In seguito alla riforma costituzionale del 2001, inoltre, le Regioni si sono viste attribuire competenze molto ampie che presentano senz’altro profili privatistici la cui disciplina però sembrerebbe riservata esclusivamente allo Stato dalla clausola dell’“ordinamento civile” ex art. 117, comma 2°, lett. l), Cost. La giurisprudenza della Corte costituzionale in materia, esposta nel secondo capitolo, non consente di individuare un orientamento né certo né definitivo. Per tale motivo, un raffronto con ordinamenti giuridici di maggior tradizione nel campo dei sistemi multilivello delle fonti potrebbe offrire nuovi spunti risolutivi ad un conflitto che vede contrapposte istanze di autonomia da una parte ed esigenze di uniformità dall’altra. In questo senso, l’ordinamento federale degli Stati Uniti d’America si propone, pur con le evidenti differenze, come un modello di tensione costante tra centro e periferia in cui l’interrogativo di fondo, come evidenziato nel terzo capitolo, riguarda invece il livello ottimale di normazione soprattutto in tema di diritti fondamentali. Il campo di indagine così individuato non può prescindere da alcune premesse terminologiche e concettuali, con particolare riguardo alle nozioni di “diritto privato” e “stato” e di come esse vengano intese a seconda dell’ordinamento di riferimento. Di ciò viene dato conto nel primo capitolo del presente lavoro

Lo spazio del diritto privato tra federalismo e regionalismo. Un'analisi comparatistica

In un sistema multilivello, le fonti del diritto privato si collocano ormai sia oltre lo Stato sia al di sotto di esso. L’analisi comparatistica mette in luce come gli stessi concetti di diritto privato e di Stato siano avvertiti diversamente nei vari ordinamenti delle due grandi tradizioni giuridiche occidentali di common law e di civil law. La giurisprudenza della Corte costituzionale, da cui emerge tra istanze di autonomia ed esigenze di uniformità il c.d. “diritto privato delle Regioni”, è allora posta a confronto con quella della Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti d’America che si propongono, pur con le evidenti differenze, come un modello di tensione costante tra centro e periferia in cui l’interrogativo di fondo riguarda invece il livello ottimale della normazione